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Yesterday BP began testing its new well cap that has temporarily stopped oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. This morning at the White House, President Barack Obama met with members of the press to give an update on progress on the cap.

âNow, our scientists and outside experts have met through the night and continue this morning to analyze the data from the well integrity test. What they're working to determine is whether we can safely shut in the well using the new cap without creating new problems, including possibly countless new oil leaks in the sea floor. Now, even if a shut-in is not possible, this new cap and the additional equipment being placed in the Gulf will be able to contain up 80,000 barrels a day, which should allow us to capture nearly all the oil until the well is killed. Itâs important to remember that prior to installation of this new cap, we were collecting on average about 25,000 barrels a day.â

Obama calls the new cap on the well âgood news.â

âEither we will be able to stop the flow, or we will be able to use it to capture almost all of the oil until the relief well is done. But weâre not going to know for certain which approach makes sense until additional data is in. And all the American people should rest assured that all of these decisions will be based on the science and whatâs best for the people of the Gulf.â

But the president cautions that scientists are still âdoing a number of testsâ to make sure the cap doesnât create more leaks.

âWhat they want to make sure of is, is that by putting this cap on the oil isnât seeping out elsewhere in ways that could be even more catastrophic. And that involves measuring pressures while this cap is on. The data is not all still in and it has to be interpreted by the scientists. But hereâs the good news that I think everybody needs to understand. Even if it turns out that we canât maintain this cap and completely shut off the flow of oil, what the new cap allows us to do is to essentially attach many more containment mechanisms so that weâre able to take more oil up to the surface, put it on ships -- it wonât be spilling into the Gulf.â

But just capping the well is not enough. Obama points out that there are still millions of gallons of oil polluting the Gulf waters and shorelines of five states.

âThereâs still a lot of oil out there, and thatâs why weâve got more skimmers out there, thereâs better coordination on the ground along the shorelines, thereâs still going to be an enormous cleanup job to do, and thereâs still going to be the whole set of issues of surrounding making sure people are compensated properly, that the $20 billion fund is set up and is acting expeditiously. So weâve got an enormous amount of work to do and people down in the Gulf, particularly businesses, are still suffering as a consequence of this disaster.â

A reporter asked if the relief wells that are being drilled thousands of feet below the sea floor are on target to reach the well and plug the hole.

âSo far, itâs actually slightly ahead of target, but the problem on the relief well is not simply drilling all the way down, itâs also connecting it up and thatâs a delicate operation that could take some time.â

In a press release today, BP announced they have paid residents and businesses of the Gulf Coast a total of $201 million. Obama says that he expects BP to be fined for the oil catastrophe and that a per-barrel fine will be a âcomponentâ of that fine.

âWell, we are obviously going to be taking measures about how much oil has spilled and those are calculations that are going to be continually refined. BP is going to be paying for the damage that it has caused, and thatâs going to involve not only paying for the environmental disaster and cleanup but also compensating people whoâve been affected.â

On a per-barrel basis?

âThatâs going to be a component of the calculations that are made.â

==

Below is the full text of the Presidentâs remarks, as provided by the White House:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release July 16, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE PRESS

Rose Garden

10:11 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the situation in the Gulf. As we all know, a new cap was fitted over the BP oil well earlier this week. This larger more sophisticated cap was designed to give us greater control over the oil flow as we complete the relief wells that are necessary to stop the leak.
Now, our scientists and outside experts have met through the night and continue this morning to analyze the data from the well integrity test. What they're working to determine is whether we can safely shut in the well using the new cap without creating new problems, including possibly countless new oil leaks in the sea floor.
Now, even if a shut-in is not possible, this new cap and the additional equipment being placed in the Gulf will be able to contain up 80,000 barrels a day, which should allow us to capture nearly all the oil until the well is killed. Itâs important to remember that prior to installation of this new cap, we were collecting on average about 25,000 barrels a day.
For almost 90 days of this environmental disaster, all of us have taken hope in the image of clean water instead of oil spewing in the Gulf. But it is our responsibility to make sure that weâre taking a prudent course of action and not simply looking for a short-term solution that could lead to even greater problems down the road.
So to summarize, the new cap is good news. Either we will be able to stop the flow, or we will be able to use it to capture almost all of the oil until the relief well is done. But weâre not going to know for certain which approach makes sense until additional data is in. And all the American people should rest assured that all of these decisions will be based on the science and whatâs best for the people of the Gulf.
All right. Iâll take just one or two questions. Go ahead.
Q Did you feel the earthquake, Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT: I didnât.
Q Sir, do you think this means that basically weâre turning the corner at least in the Gulf? Tell the American people what you anticipate in the next few weeks ahead, because theyâre still very anxious about this.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think itâs important that we donât get ahead of ourselves here. One of the problems with having this camera down there is, is that when the oil stops gushing, everybody feels like weâre done -- and weâre not.
The new cap is containing the oil right now, but scientists are doing a number of tests. What they want to make sure of is, is that by putting this cap on the oil isnât seeping out elsewhere in ways that could be even more catastrophic. And that involves measuring pressures while this cap is on. The data is not all still in and it has to be interpreted by the scientists.
But hereâs the good news that I think everybody needs to understand. Even if it turns out that we canât maintain this cap and completely shut off the flow of oil, what the new cap allows us to do is to essentially attach many more containment mechanisms so that weâre able to take more oil up to the surface, put it on ships -- it wonât be spilling into the Gulf.
The final solution to this whole problem is going to be the relief wells and getting that completed, but thereâs no doubt that we have made progress as a consequence of this new cap fitting on, and that even if it turns out that we canât keep the containment cap on to completely stop the oil, itâs going to allow us to capture much more oil and weâll see less oil flowing into the Gulf.
Now, in the meantime, obviously weâve still got a big job to do. Thereâs still a lot of oil out there, and thatâs why weâve got more skimmers out there, thereâs better coordination on the ground along the shorelines, thereâs still going to be an enormous cleanup job to do, and thereâs still going to be the whole set of issues of surrounding making sure people are compensated properly, that the $20 billion fund is set up and is acting expeditiously.
So weâve got an enormous amount of work to do and people down in the Gulf, particularly businesses, are still suffering as a consequence of this disaster. But we are making steady progress and I think the American people should take some heart in the fact that weâre making progress on this front.
Q Are the relief wells still on target, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: So far, itâs actually slightly ahead of target, but the problem on the relief well is not simply drilling all the way down, itâs also connecting it up and thatâs a delicate operation that could take some time.
Q Ahead of target -- what does ahead of target mean, sir?
Q Mr. President, when does BP begin paying fines according to the amount of oil spilled?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we are obviously going to be taking measures about how much oil has spilled and those are calculations that are going to be continually refined. BP is going to be paying for the damage that it has caused, and thatâs going to involve not only paying for the environmental disaster and cleanup but also compensating people whoâve been affected.
Q On a per-barrel basis?
THE PRESIDENT: Thatâs going to be a component of the calculations that are made.
Go ahead.
Q What do you want to say to the people there? When do you expect to go down next?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I would expect that sometime in the next several weeks Iâll be back down. What weâre trying to do right now is to make sure that the technical folks on the ground are making the best possible decisions to shut this well down as quickly as possible, that weâre standing up the fund so that people are compensated quickly. Iâm staying in touch each and every day, monitoring the progress and getting briefed by the scientists.
The key here right now is for us to make decisions based on science, based on whatâs best for the people of the Gulf -- not based on PR, not based on politics. And thatâs part of the reason why I wanted to speak this morning, because I know that there were a lot of reports coming out in the media that seemed to indicate, well, maybe this thing is done. We wonât be done until we actually know that weâve killed the well and that we have a permanent solution in place. Weâre moving in that direction, but I donât want us to get too far ahead of ourselves.
All right. Thank you very much, everybody.
END 10:17 A.M. EDT

Comments

cross fingers
not staff scott about over 4 years ago
If this does kill it, it only wins a battle, not a war. Furthermore, while I will defend Obama more than many, the truth is we need to KILL the DRILL. All the same, a little good news sure helps.

Drill Baby Drill!
Ron about over 4 years ago
Of course, although I am for drilling (and against the moritorium) we must demand responsibility. And I am against Osama (and ignorance wherever it raises its ugly head) more than most.

Good Station
Tyrone about over 4 years ago
can you replay saturday morning show about how it was not dante morris fault the police got kill?and not dante morris. people need to know this.